The present invention relates to a coin sorting apparatus and a coin handling machine using the same and, particularly, to such an apparatus which improves coin handling efficiency without size increase and a coin handling machine using the same.
Japanese Patent No. 2518724 discloses a coin sorting apparatus comprising coin discriminating means for discriminating whether or not a coin is acceptable and the denomination of the coin, a transporting belt for conveying coins along a reference rail in a coin conveying passage, a coin sorting opening formed in the coin conveying passage at a predetermined distance from the reference rail and adapted for causing coins to fall therein, and coin conveying direction turning means having a semicircular cross section, wherein when a coin of a predetermined denomination is detected by the coin discriminating means, the coin conveying direction turning means is located so that the flat surface portion thereof is aligned with the reference rail, thereby conveying the coin along the reference rail, and when a coin of a denomination other than a predetermined one is detected by the coin discriminating means, the coin conveying direction turning means is turned so that the cylindrical surface portion thereof projects into the coin conveying passage and abuts against the coin of a denomination other than a predetermined one, thereby turning the conveying direction of the coin so that the coin is led to the coin sorting opening and falls therein, whereby coins of a predetermined denomination are sorted.
However, since this coin sorting apparatus is constituted so as to turn the direction of a coin being conveyed while it is held between the transporting belt and the surface of the coin conveying passage and lead the coin to the coin sorting opening so that it freely falls therein, thereby sorting coins of a predetermined denomination from coin of other denominations, it is indispensable to increase the length of the coin sorting opening in the coin conveying direction in order to make coins of the predetermined denomination reliably fall in the coin sorting opening and, therefore, the coin sorting apparatus inevitable becomes large.
In particular, in the case where the conveying speed of coins is increased for improving coin handling efficiency, the coin sorting opening has to be formed much longer in the coin conveying direction. Since the coin sorting apparatus therefore becomes even larger and the size of the coin handling machine also increases to an unacceptable degree, a solution for avoiding size increase is necessary.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a compact coin sorting apparatus for a coin handling machine.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a coin sorting apparatus for a coin handling machine, which can improve coin handling efficiency without size increase.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a coin handling machine which can improve coin handling efficiency without size increase.
The above other objects of the present invention can be accomplished by a coin sorting apparatus for a coin handling machine including a coin sorting passage extending substantially one-dimensionally and having transporting belt means for conveying coins, and denomination discriminating means provided in the coin sorting passage for discriminating the denominations of coins, wherein the coin sorting passage is bifurcated at a downstream portion thereof into a coin selecting passage for leading coins to be sorted therethrough and a coin collecting passage for leading coins other than those to be sorted therethrough, the coin sorting apparatus further including gate means provided at the portion where the coin sorting passage is bifurcated into the coin selecting passage and the coin collecting passage for selectively leading coins into the coin selecting passage or the coin collecting passage in accordance with results of discrimination made by the denomination discriminating means.
According to the present invention, the coin sorting passage is bifurcated at a downstream portion thereof into a coin selecting passage for leading coins to be sorted therethrough and a coin collecting passage for leading coins other than those to be sorted therethrough and gate means is provided at the portion where the coin sorting passage is bifurcated into the coin selecting passage and the coin collecting passage for selectively leading coins into the coin selecting passage or the coin collecting passage in accordance with results of discrimination made by the denomination discriminating means. Therefore, since coins can be forcibly led by the gate means into the coin selecting passage or the coin collecting passage, it is possible to shorten the length of the coin sorting passage in comparison with a conventional coin sorting apparatus in which coins are sorted by freely dropping coins other than those to be sorted into a coin sorting opening. Moreover, even when the conveying speed of coins is increased for improving coin handling efficiency, it is still possible to prevent size increase of the coin sorting apparatus and, accordingly, of the coin handling machine, because there is no need to excessively increase the length of the coin sorting passage.
In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the gate means is constituted so that when coins are to be led into the coin selecting passage, the gate means prevents coins from advancing into the coin collecting passage and that when coins are to be led into the coin collecting passage, it prevents coins from advancing into the coin selecting passage.
In a further preferred aspect of the present invention, the gate means is formed by a rod member which is mounted on a shaft provided at the bifurcated portion so as to be swingable about the shaft and is constituted so that when coins are to be led into the coin selecting passage, it is swung into the coin collecting passage, thereby preventing the coins from advancing into the coin collecting passage and that when coins are to be led into the coin collecting passage, it is swung in the coin selecting passage, thereby preventing the coins from advancing into the coin selecting passage.
According to this preferred aspect of the present invention, coins can be forcibly led by the gate means into the coin selecting passage or the coin collecting passage merely by swinging the rodlike gate means about the shaft provided at the bifurcated portion in accordance with the results of the discrimination made by the denomination discriminating means. Consequently, it is possible to shorten the length of the coin sorting passage with a simple structure in comparison with a conventional coin sorting apparatus in which coins are sorted by freely dropping coins other than those to be sorted into a coin sorting opening. Moreover, even when the conveying speed of coins is increased for improving coin handling efficiency, it is still possible to prevent size increase of the coin sorting apparatus and, accordingly, of the coin handling machine, because there is no need to excessively increase the length of the coin sorting passage.
In a further preferred aspect of the present invention, the gate means is mounted on the shaft in the vicinity of an end portion thereof and is swingable from an upstream side of the coin collecting passage and the coin selecting passage toward a lower side thereof so as to cross a plane which is parallel to a longitudinal direction of the coin sorting passage and includes the shaft.
According to this preferred aspect of the present invention, since the rod-like gate means is mounted on the shaft in the vicinity of an end portion thereof and is swingable from an upstream side of the coin collecting passage and the coin selecting passage toward a lower side thereof so as to cross a plane which is parallel to a longitudinal direction of the coin sorting passage and includes the shaft, even if the actuation of the gate means is delayed for some reason, the gate means can be quickly located in the coin collecting passage or the coin selecting passage, thereby preventing coins from advancing into the coin collecting passage or the coin selecting passage and sorting coins in a desired manner.
In a further preferred aspect of the present invention, the gate means is mounted on the shaft at a substantially central portion thereof and is swingable from an upstream side of the coin collecting passage and the coin selecting passage toward a lower side thereof so as to cross a plane which is parallel to a longitudinal direction of the coin sorting passage and includes the shaft.
According to this preferred aspect of the present invention, since the rod-like gate means is mounted on the shaft at a substantially central portion thereof and is swingable from an upstream side of the coin collecting passage and the coin selecting passage toward a lower side thereof so as to cross a plane which is parallel to a longitudinal direction of the coin sorting passage and includes the shaft, even if the actuation of the gate means is delayed for some reasons, coins erroneously fed into the coin collecting passage or the coin selecting passage can be pushed back by the gate means, thereby sorting coins in a desired manner.
In another preferred aspect of the present invention, the coin sorting apparatus further includes a first opening provided at an inlet portion of the coin collecting passage and a second opening provided at an inlet portion of the coin selecting passage and the gate means includes a first gate member adapted to project into the coin collecting passage through the first opening and retract below a position where it is flush with an upper surface of the coin collecting passage and a second gate member adapted to project into the coin selecting passage through the second opening and retract below a position where it is flush with an upper surface of the coin selecting passage.
According to this preferred aspect of the present invention, coins can be forcibly and selectively led into the coin selecting passage or the coin collecting passage by actuating the first gate member when the coins are to be led into the coin selecting passage and actuating the second gate member when the coins are to be led into the coin collecting passage. As a consequence, it is possible to shorten the length of the coin sorting passage with a simple structure in comparison with a conventional coin sorting apparatus in which coins are sorted by freely dropping coins other than those to be sorted into a coin sorting opening. Moreover, even when the conveying speed of coins is increased for improving coin handling efficiency, it is still possible to prevent size increase of the coin sorting apparatus and, accordingly, of the coin handling machine, because there is no need to excessively increase the length of the coin sorting passage.
In a further preferred aspect of the present invention, each of the first gate member and the second gate member is formed by a plate-like member.
The above and other objects of the present invention can be also accomplished by a coin handling machine provided with the above defined coin sorting apparatus.
According to the present invention, the coin handling machine is provided with a coin sorting apparatus which can shorten the length of the coin sorting passage. Therefore, even when the conveying speed of coins is increased for improving coin handling efficiency, it is still possible to prevent size increase of the coin sorting apparatus and, in turn, to obtain a coin handling machine of improving coin handling efficiency which is not increased in size.
In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the coin handling machine further includes a coin sorting chute connected to the coin selecting passage and a coin collecting chute connected to the coin collecting passage.
In another preferred aspect of the present invention, the coin handling machine further includes coin stacking means provided below a downstream portion of the coin selecting passage for stacking coins and coin wrapping means provided below the coin stacking means for wrapping the coins stacked by the coin stacking means.
In a further preferred aspect of the present invention, the coin handling machine further includes sensor means provided in the coin selecting passage for detecting coins.